Altar Of Bones. Philip Carter (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
This is a fast-paced thriller of epic substance. It takes the reader on a roller coaster ride, covering well-known conspiracy events such as...Did Marilyn Monroe commit suicide? and Was there another shooter on the grassy knoll? When Philip Carter gets through with you, the answers will seem as logical as 2 + 2 = 4.It is well written, although I could do without the sex scenes. I don't think they added anything to the plot. The plot was full enough already with people chasing people across the U.S. and Europe. All the running can leave you breathless. The fight scenes were realistic and powerful. There is one description of the heroine driving a car on a narrow mountain road trying to get away from her enemy that is amazing.Carter creates a strong heroine to go with a strong hero. They blend quite well without stepping on each other's toes. He crafts an ending that suits the story. If I say more I'll give things away. Philip Carter is the pseudonym for a well known writer, don't know who it is, but I'm guessing Philip is really a Phyllis. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it just felt a little jarring at first to start reading a book I thought was written by a guy only to have it 'read' more like a book written by a woman. As first forays into this genre go, it's a decent read, but it does come out a bit on the light side with some of the conflict resolution being just a little too easily resolved. The sexual tension and the way in which the two protagonists just seem to 'destined' comes off a little too 'romancy' for this type of book. Another reason I'm thinking the 'real' Philip Carter is really a romance writer.The book opens in present day San Francisco. Rosie, an elderly homeless woman is on the run from a man who is going to kill her. She seems to evade him at first but is then fatally stabbed and dies babbling something incoherent but sounding like 'there was no need to kill him, he didn't drink from the Altar of Bones'. The scene then switches to Siberia in 1939, with Lena Orlova making an heroic escape from prison, accompanied by her lover Nikolai Popov. Fighting to survive in the bitter cold, they take refuge in a secret cave known only to Lena. The cave contains the mysterious Altar of Bones, and Lena, the Keeper of this great secret, gives her injured and frozen lover a mysterious substance from it, in order to heal him. Things then switch back to the present, to our two protagonists, Zoe Dmitroff and Ry O'Malley. Zoe is a lawyer who defends abused women and Ry is an ex special-ops soldier. It starts with the deathbed confession of Mike O'Malley, Ry's father, which results in his brother being stabbed to death to keep the details of this confession secret. Meanwhile, someone mugs Zoe and attempts to kill her, shortly after she finds out about the shocking murder of a grandmother that she didn't know she had. Both of these characters are linked to the Altar of Bones and end up on a hunt to track it down. The hunt becomes a race when it becomes evident that somebody wants Zoe and Ry out of the way and seems willing to stop at nothing to achieve their goal. Nowhere seems safe for Zoe and Ry as they try to solve the mystery and eventually the cave where they believe all will be revealed. Manic car chases and gratuitous sex scenes ensue.For those who enjoy an action packed adventure mystery, Altar of Bones has something for everyone. A thoroughly contemporary thriller where the girl gets to kick butt, shoot guns and drive like a maniac right alongside the hero.
What do You think about Altar Of Bones. Philip Carter (2012)?
A fun summer read. Full of action packed adventure with a strong heroine too!
—rachelbraund
not bad, not great. ok story - a kind of who dunnit with lots of bad guys.
—jjmax
Quite exciting and an interesting story. Like the characters Zoe and Ry.
—ManaaMohammedd
